Corridor40

A masterpiece is usually created when someone combines their talent and their passion, and that is exactly what happened when designer Tara launched SWANcltohing. Consisting of totes, purses and accessories sewn, hand-stenciled, embroidered, quilted, and hand-finished by Tara, the summer collection—made up of sock garters—has been popular among fashion bloggers far and wide. While her original sock garters were made from recycled leather and stretchy elastic anchored by leather both in front and back, the summer lace versions are made of stretchy flowered lace elastic, anchored on both sides by vegan faux leather. Corridor40 recently caught up with the designer to talk her sudden success, her dream for SWANclothing and her “pretty, with snap” demographic. -Jenae Green

C40. What made you decide to go into design?
T. Part of it is just this crazy feeling I get when I realize I can put my twist on an object—and a feeling that it was supposed to be done. And I missed working with my hands. And I love to wear clothes, and wanted certain things that didn’t exist.

C40. How did you go about launching your label?
T. I just opened a store online one day.

C40. What is the significance of the name of your label?
T. It’s sort of a nod to my Anglo heritage, which—at the same time—I am constantly at odds with. I also love the character Swan in Phantom of the Paradise, and wanted that to be my name.

C40. What was your inspiration for your latest collection?
T. They sort of sideswiped the type of summer collection I was planning for 2010; it was sort of  a fluke. I just wanted to make a gift for a boy shoe blogger—I thought he might like them—[and it grew from there].

C40. How would you describe your style?
T. Conservative and classic, but not.

C40. What is your favorite piece in your collection?
T. I don’t know. I love my Louche totes, my Tiny Rose purses, my Ruffle Bustle bumbags, my Big Bruiser Bunny tote, my sock garters,…I think I love my work.

C40. Who are you designing for?
T. Me, but I also always want to facilitate what others want. I want to amuse and delight the masses, if possible. I want to make people’s days a little more sweet and fun. I don’t have a perfect demographic definition—but girls and women who are feminine, but not wimpy; pretty, with snap.

C40. If you weren’t a designer, what would you be doing?
T. Ooooh, well, many things; I’d be a marine biologist, an entomologist or some sort of environmentally-progressive architect who makes tree houses.

C40. Who are your favorite designers?
T. That’s impossible to answer! Especially now, as we can just swim through so many images online.

C40. If you could design for one person, living or dead, who would it be, why and what would your design look like?
T. Marina Bychkova’s enchanted dolls, and all of my designs would be made tiny. She definitely does just fine on her own, though.

C40. Where do you see SWANclothing in five years?
T. I’m hoping a little less stressful, and with fewer 7-day work weeks. Mainly, I want to bring more people into it, and work on distribution channels.

Images via etsy.com